Method of making flour from sweet potatoes.



No. 696;()88. Patented Mar. 25, |902. E. STRAUS.

METHOD 0F MAKING FLUUR FROM SWEET POTATOES.

(Application led Oct. 30, 19.00.? (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

INvENToR May m: nomme PETERS au. PNDYQLITNQA. wAsmnnroN, n. c.

WITNESSES: fem 6 z/ In. 696,088.L Patented Mar. 25, |902.v

E. STRAUS. METHDD 0F MAKING FLUUB FROM SWEET POTATOES. v (Application led Oct. 30, 1900.) v V @.(l'o Model.) 2 sham-sheet 2.

' INVENTR af@ M 7 1b/1 @mit 45,

To @JZ whom, t may concern.-

" iTE STATES AT1-NT OFFICE.

AssIGNoR To HENRY s. NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF NIA-KING FLOUR FROVI SWEET APOl'ATOES. l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,088, dated March 25, 1902.

` nppiimionieaoczoterso,1900. serialnasgse?.

Be it'known that I, ELISE STRAUS, of Vineland, county of Cumberland, State of New Jersey, have invented a new Method of Making Flour from the Most Nutritious Constituents of Sweet Potatoes or Yams', of which the following is a specification.

' The method of carrying out my invention will be more fully understood by reference toy the accompanying drawings, in which Figure of a cleaning and scraping machine for performing the rst step in the manufacture of my flour, and consists in suitable mechanism more fullydescribed hereinafter forcleaning and removing the outer surface or skin of the sweet potatoes. Fig. 2 represents' a vertical section of a grating or grinding ma,- chine for conducting the second step in the operation, by which means the sweet potatoes after being cleaned are reduced to a pulp-like mass. Fig. 3 shows a Vertical section of a roller press through which the ground or grated sweet potatoes are passed for the purpose of removing the hydrated matter containing part of the starch. This operation constitutes the third step in the process of manufacture.V Fig. 4 represents a sectional view of a washer consisting, mainly, of a tank provided with inlet and discharge pipes for water containing a revoluble perforated cy inderprovided with a series of inclined blades. In thisV cylinder the reduced mass is placed for the purpose of cleansing the same and removing the starchy matter. This operation constitutes the fourth step in the process of manufacture. Fig. 5 illustrates a vertical section of a roller-press similar to that shown in Fig. 3, by which means the Water is removed from the mass previously treated in the washer, this operation being the fifth step in the treatment of the product. Fig. 6 represents a longitudinal'section of an evaporator consisting of a box or casing provided with two or more sets of endless belts or conveyers, between which the previously-treated product is passed for the purpose of removing the moisture and preparing the product for its iinal treatment. This operation constitutes the sixth step in the process of manu- Fig. '7 represents a vertical section facture.

l illustrates a longitudinal section charge pipe D3.

(No specimens.)

of a simple formot roller-mill by which the product is ground to a tlour in its final treatment. f

Referring to the reference-letters of the drawings, in Fig. l, A represents a tank, in which is mounted a revolu ble cylinder B, having slits or perforations b.

In carrying out my process the sweet potatoes or yarns to be treated are placed in the cylinder B, together with a quantity o'f coarse stones or gravel of any suitable size. The

-cylinder is then rotated by means of the gearwheel C and pinion O, the latter being arranged on a hollow shaft O2, through which a stream of Water passes tothe cylinder B. At the bottom of the tank is a discharge-pipe D, which communicates witha second tank D', which has a perforated bottom D2 and a dis- After the sweet potatoes have been treated to the cleaning and scraping process due to the abrasive action of the gravel in the cylinder B and the skin and other-refuse matter have been carried oif by the action ofV the water through the slits or perforations b and discharge-pipe D and have collected upon the perforated bottom D2 of ,the tank Dthe sweet potatoes are removed from the cylinder B and subjected to a grating or grinding process. This process may be carried out by means ofany suitable form of grinding-mill-such, for example, as the simple form shown in Fig. 2, in which E represents a hopper provided with a serrated conical base E', in the center of which is rotated a conical grinding-wheel E2, the base E3 of the machine being provided with a perforated bottom E4, which latter serves to drain a portion of the aqueous matter from the grated material. The product is next subjected to the action of a roller-press for the purpose of thoroughly removing the aqueous matter contained in the mass of grated material, which is accomplished in the following manner: The mass taken from the grating or grinding machine is placed upon a table F and gradually fed between the rollers G and G', mounted in .suitable uprights and driven from any convenient source of power. The divided material is thus compressed between the rolls, causing the aqueous matter to drip down over one side of the IOO lower roll and enter the tank H, While the comparatively dry solid matter passes from the rolls into the tank H. From the pressing-rollers the material is conveyed to a Washing-machine for the purpose of thoroughly cleaning and removing all of the starchy matter contained therein. This is accomplished by means of a tank I, which is provided with a water-inlet pipe I' and a discharge or overflow pipe I2. Within this tank isha revoluble perforated cylinder J, provided Within with a series of inclined blades J', which may be arranged stationary or may be caused to rotate in an opposite direction from that of the cylinder in order to more thoroughly agitate the material to be treated. The cylinder J may be driven from any convenient source ot power through the medium of a gear-wheel K and pinion K. The product after being thoroughly Washed is next taken to a roller-press similar to that shown in Fig. 3, consisting of a trough Lfor receiving and feeding the Washed product between rollers M and M', by which the aqueous matter is removed. A tank N is to receive the aqueous matter and a tank N' is to receive the compressed material as it passes from the rolls. The product, which is now comparatively dry, is next taken to the evaporator, which consists of a long box or casing O, in which is placed a long line of steam heat ing pipes P. The lnaterial to be here treated is passed through a hopper O' and carried slowly around through the heated chamber by means of endless conveyers Q and Q. the former being carried by rollers q and q' and the latter by rollers q2 and qs. After the product has passed over the top of the conveyer Q and between the conveyers Q and Q' it is discharged through an opening Q2 in the end of The final operation consists in the chamber.

-reducing the material to flour after it has been thoroughly dried in the evaporator. This may be accomplished by any Well-known means-such, for example, as the well-known roller process, a simple example of which is shown in Fig. 7, in which case the evaporated material is passed through the opening R and brought under the action of the rollers S and S, which can be driven in opposite directions at different speeds. The product is thus ground into iour and passes through the opening R into any convenient receptacle placed to receive it.

It is obvious that slight variations can be made in conducting the various steps of my process and in the mechanism described herein without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The method or process of making a flour from sweet potatoes which consists, first, in removing therefrom the outer surface or skin, second, in grating or reducing the sweet potatoes to a pulp-like mass, third, in removing from such mass the hydrated matter which contains a portion of the starch, fourth, in removing substantially all of the remaining starch from the residual product, fth, in evaporating or drying such residual material, and lastly, in grinding or finely dividing the residual material into flour, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have .hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

ELISE STRAUS.

Witnesses:

ADELYN J. MoRRis, L. E. KEMMERER. 

